Have to say Im not a rap for the trend to low watt valve amps. Doesnt make much sense to me. Ive got a little 5w amp in the house at the moment- its still way to loud and frankly sounds like a cardboard box witrh its stupid 8in speaker. Last night I was using a pair of Brit handwired 20w 2x10 Cornell amps- a "Plexi" (Marshall JTM) and a Romany (tweed). Both really nice, WAY too loud for home but neither powerful enough to give the clean headroom needed with a drummer and bass palyer.

Ive got a 35 year old solid state Yamaha cdmbo I use at home. When it eventually dies, I'd get someting like a Line6 with all the shizz- loopers, drum machines, tuner, FX, amp sims- all built in. Chuck it away 12 months later when it packs up.

I like Mark Knopfler, David Gilmore, and Brian May if that helps.

Get a little Line6 or Roland (im sure there is others) sim amp- it has all those guys built in.

Tube amps...are loud.

I have to agree. My Univalve (through a 2x12 Avatar cab with a V30 and a G12H30) sounds glorious at "disturbing the peace" volumes, but at "bedroom" levels the attenuation is brutal on sound quality. I have actually been using a nice Mazda or Visseaux 6V6 at clean levels and then using a DigiTech multi-effects pedal in front. It actually sounds really good plus I have a lot of versatility.

For a do-anything small home amp I've been pretty impressed by my Fender Superchamp XD. Admittedly it sounds better running through a decent 1x12 cabinet but it's quite acceptable on its own (built-in 1x10). It certainly has more oomph than you'll ever need at 15 watts, and with the two channels you'll be able to play around without having to build a collection of pedals that you never use.

Re: the small tube head trend--I have played through many--even own a couple--and the only one I play anymore is the Vox AC4TVH. It was damned cheap, sounds decent (though not great), and has an attenuator to run it at 4, 1, and 1/4 watts. Frankly the 1/4 watt setting is still too loud (according to my wife :D ). And I'm pretty sure the Tone knob isn't connected to anything.

Or you could get a 40 watt Fender HRD and put a volume box on it. The amp is cranked but your ears don't have to bleed to reap the benefits of a true tube amp pushed like they are made to be pushed.

40w and a power attenuator is overkill for home use-IMHO and you end up with one trick pony. As well all the maintenance overhead that valve amps bring.

This funny looking thing is getting big raps- its cheap and its yamaha reliable. I think it might also make a worthy backup if you play out as well.

THR - Amps - Guitars & Basses - Musical Instruments - Products - Yamaha United States

http://data.yamaha.jp/sdb/product/im...2CF4_12001.jpg

RE: the road worn series

A guitar that looks like it's been around the block, for the player who hasn't.


Isn't buying one of these akin to the doctor/lawyer who suits up in leather to ride his Harley on the weekends?

Go buy a Squire and get some custom pups from Wolf.
Or get some active pups from EMG.



Re: amps

I have a Line 6 Flextone XL. It is a sim amp, or modeling amp, and has a buttload of simulated outputs built into it. It's fun, but I am also looking for a "deal" on an old "evil twin".

I like this ^, I think my wife and kids will like it too.

The blooz laywers buy really expensive Closet Classic relics and Rory Gallagher replicas from the Fender Custom Shop for thousands more. The Roadworn MIMs are particularly bad, depending on how the sanding belt action went that day. A shame, because MIM strats are good. Relics suck.

Twins, btw- v.loud.

I forgot the smiley face. A regular guy that never plays out needs a big tube amp like he needs a 356 with a 930 engine in it.

Yeah, its true. That little yamaha thing above, or something like that, Line 6 or Roland, is ample for home. Lots of sounds, tweakable, MP3, headphones, FX -all software, built in. Do they sound a like a valve amp cooking off? At home they can, but with other musicians they dont. They dont have the dynamics, the hand touch, that bottle amps have. Modelling amps, even the good stuff like the AxeFX, isnt quite right. IMHO, YMMV.

I have a very nice hand wired, turret board and all that, 50w amp- and I never turn it on at home, its too loud.

I have been turned off by the Squire simply because it is marketed as a kids guitar. I will play a few though as these parts are swappable. My understanding of the road worn was to try an achieve the sound and look of early vintage strats.

Stu, How are they particularly bad?

Doug- this is just my opinion, and lots of people feel differently, each to their own, and all- but the whole "relic" thing sucks. Its fake, its faux, its bollocks. A MIM Fender is a good thing. A "roadworn" is a just a MIM strat that Manuel attacked with a sanding belt. You can buy a better, CustomShop relic, its the same bull****.

Roadworn is the cheap end. There is whole other end expensive end to the "relic" thing. When you actually get hold of an (real) old guitar, they generally dont look like these "relics". In fact real old guitars often arent very good at all.

Just buy a guitar and play the snot out of it. In thirty years, youll have a roadworn guitar. I blame this guy for the whole relic thing.

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/168/4...ed9f55316c.jpg

You know in 30 years I'll be 73.

This is all good info. I'm going to keep playing as many as I can until the right one comes along.

Perhaps I'll pick up a THR in the meantime.

I need to take a picture of the back of the neck on my SG. I bought the guitar brand new in 1983 and have worn quite a bit of the paint off the back of the neck. I used to want to get it repainted, but now view it as a badge of honor. SmileWavy

WHAT?? :D

A person could always get that Yamaha THR and use a Line 6 pod if said person wants sound modeling at less volume.

copy better then the fender ?
 

Fernandes strat copys

Fernandes Guitars - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia


''During the 1970s, it became Japan's premier manufacturer of Fender copies; its Stratocaster copy, in particular, is generally considered a vastly superior instrument to the actual Fender Stratocaster's; this is due to the fact of the high-quality guitar craftsmanship that came from Japan during the early '70s to compete with the American market. ''

I bought my kid a older used Fernandes strat as his first axe
later I got him a real USA Fender strat [1974]

he keap the fernandes and traded the fender for a huge amp+speakers

For just knocking around I wouldn't trade my Fender Bullet Reverb amp for anything. I bought it when they first came out way back when and it has served me well. A little shy on the bottom end, but the reverb springs must be 17 feet long. It is a great, cheep little practice amp.
I just picked up a Hartke GT100 last night and I am liking the tube/IC thing it does well at low volumes and at 100W and two 12's it is very very loud on a rude scale.

Buy this one
http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1340404969.jpg